The Art of Delegating
Del-e-gation: giving others the authority to act in your behalf, accompany it with responsibility and accountability for results.
A leader cannot do everything for an organization; if he/she tries, he/she will not be successful at leading. Learning how to delegate responsibility (art of spreading the work around) is an indispensable skill for a leader of any organization. In turn, effective delegation produces these benefits:
-allows more people to become actively involved
-distributes the work load
-can help an organization or committee to run more smoothly and efficiently
Most leaders have difficulty delegating responsibility. Most often they would prefer to do the task themselves to make sure the “job gets done right.” While this method can be more expedient, it can also result in the loss of members. Sharing your authority with others can be the greatest single motivator in retaining members and strengthening the organization.
Telling – leader designs the job, then delegates to a member.
Participating – leader identifies a job a member might do with another member, then get a commitment that they will work on it.
Selling (coaching) – leader involves members in developing a project and encourages them to volunteer for tasks.
Delegating – leader gives a member a desired outcome and then leaves them to do it (pure delegation).
The strategy a leader uses to delegate a task depends on the stage of the readiness of the members. A member who is new to an organization may need the leader to Tell him/her what to do in order to be successful at completing the delegated task. On the other hand, a committee of executive members who have had a lot of experience in the organization may be most successful if the leader uses Pure Delegation as their strategy. Getting to know the members of your committee or organization is critical; you can learn the skill but then you must practice it and learn the art of delegating. Trust, and have confidence in your members, learn to be flexible in your style of delegation and use the delegation strategy that is best for the individual.
Do Delegate:
When there is a lot of work
When you feel someone else has a particular skill or qualification which would suit a specific task
When someone expresses an interest in a task
When you think a particular member might benefit from the responsibility (e.g., an emerging leader of your organization)
Don’t Delegate:
Your own extremely important matters with serious consequences, emergencies, or matters of exception to a policy
Things that are usually your specified responsibilities
Things you wouldn’t be willing to do
A task to a member who may not possess the skill necessary to do the task successfully
Leaders:
It doesn’t occur to leaders to delegate
It’s seen as a sign of weakness
Belief that it’s the lazy way out
The leader wants to do the job him/herself
The leader does not want to lose “control”
Belief that “I’m too busy to delegate”
Belief that the leader can do it better or faster
Fear of being disliked
Members:
It’s easier to ask the “president” than make own decision
Members don’t understand own authority level
Lack of resources or information from leaders to do a task
Lack of self-confidence
Feeling that the incentives are inadequate to motivate a member to do a task
A Leader Can:
Give members tasks they can do best
Train and orient all your members
Communicate the scope and nature of the delegation
Give credit to those who do the job
Delegate the right to be different and wrong
Explain the conditions for satisfactory performance
Follow-up with all delegated tasks
Give deadlines or a timeline for accomplishment
Communicate “ positive trust” to members regarding their ability
Recognize accomplishments